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Internet security expert speaking Saturday

In a day of increasing concern over misuse and abuse on the Internet, Theresa Payton is someone you want on your side.

Payton, a nationally known Internet security expert as well as chief advisor and CEO of a technology consulting firm, calls herself a “cyber sentry.”

On Saturday morning she’ll be sharing her expertise and insight on Internet safety at Nease High School as the third and final speaker in a series aimed at helping keep children safe in St. Johns County.

It’s organized through the St. Johns County Education Foundation and is free.

“There will be something for everybody from kids to also those who are kids at heart,” Payton said. “I’ll be talking some about the positive power of the Internet … but I’ll also be talking about grabbing back a little of the privacy and security.”

Topics will include cyber bullying, identity theft, sexting and technology’s role in people’s lives.

Payton hopes to help people “find a balance between fun online and being safe online.”

The relative newness of the Internet means it’s still a learning process for adults and children, she said. While children normally learn rites of passage such as driving from parents, when it comes to the Internet parents are still learning and “struggling to catch up. … It’s a difficult time to be a parent,” said Payton, who was the first woman to serve as chief information officer at the White House. She’s a cyber expert on the newsmagazine show “America Now” and has a weekly segment on Charlotte. N.C., television.

“Certainly there’re some real organized crime elements targeting young people and the elderly. They’re smart in one regard, they always target the weaker. Children are wide open and trusting. It’s not that the elderly aren’t (aware) but they’re still experimenting and learning about the Internet,” Payton said, adding the two groups are particularly vulnerable for identity theft.

Internet crime is growing, she said, and that’s in part because of an increasing awareness by criminals of the potential for profit. Bank robbers may have made off with millions, but Internet banking thieves are finding out they can make off with billions. Other types of criminals have paid attention to both the greater return and the difficulty of tracing online crime and that has made it more appealing for organized crime, she said.

Cyber bullying continues to be a problem with very real consequences including in some cases suicide, Payton said, noting cyber bullying can be used against both children and adults.

Helping children learn to “take a stand and be courageous” by defending those being bullied or to go to a trusted adult and tell what they’ve observed can make a difference, she said.

“What I would like is for people to walk away from our conversation knowing how to be a better parent, a better example for kids, and for kids to know how to put the best positive image forward on the Internet,” she said.

For Payton the St. Johns County visit puts her in familiar territory. She was born in Jacksonville while her father was stationed at Cecil Field and later lived in the area when her husband was stationed at Mayport.

She got her start in banking technology working at Barnett Bank in Jacksonville. Her in-laws live in Orange Park.

“For a military brat, this is hometown,” she said.

Payton is author of “Protecting Your Internet Identity: Are you Naked Online?”

“And the answer is ‘Yes,’” she said of the question in the title. Books-A-Million will have copies on hand at Saturday’s event and Payton will be signing her book as well as answering questions.

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IF YOU GO

WHO: Theresa Payton, nationally-known Internet security expert

WHEN: Nease High School Auditorium, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.